The evolution of the web and the way in which we design for it has brought around all kinds of patterns, standards and best practices. Sites have a relatively uniform information structure: We always start with a home page (also known as the front page or index page) as the default page, and we’ll have common pages such as a contact page, an about page, and so forth.

A lot of sites will have a web page dedicated to problem-solving, giving answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ). In a time where interactivity between the site operator and site visitors is at the forefront, and a time where site analytics allow us to know more about user behavior than ever before — has the FAQ page, been left behind?

Most designers wireframe their designs in one way or another, even if it just involves them making quick sketches on the back of some scratch paper. Wireframing is an important part of the design process, especially for more complex projects.

Wireframes can come in handy when you’re communicating with clients, as it allows them to visualize your ideas more easily than when you just describe them verbally.

This guide covers what you need to know about website wireframes to get started.

Whether you’re a solo freelancer or the head of a huge web design agency (or somewhere in between), your website often serves as the first point of contact with a potential new client. Displaying an impressive portfolio of work along with a few client testimonials is a great start. But the final piece is key: Your contact form, or as many call it, the "Request a Quote" form, also known as Request for Quotation (RFQ) form or Request for Proposal (RFP) form.

Blogging is more commonplace now than ever before. It’s estimated that there are at least 147 million blogs[1] covering topics from technology to Japanese theme restaurants.

But regardless of the vastness of the blogosphere and the diversity of blog topics, there are a handful of site features that you’ll likely find in most of them. In addition, readers have come to expect these site features to be available to them when they visit their favorite blogs.

The secret to success for a website these days is really no secret at all. Websites that really bring home the bacon are the ones driven by loyal visitors who frequent the site on a regular basis. Building a community like this often takes a lot of time and loads of great content.

But is there a way to shortcut the tried and true methods of great material and great marketing?

In this article, we’ll talk about the challenges of writing concise and familiar copy for web application user interfaces. We’ll illustrate, with a real case example, how tools like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk can help designers find a common language with their users.

In modern web interface design, no other principle has been heralded and pushed onto us as much as the concept of user-centered design. User-centered design tells us that we should do everything we can to make our user interfaces as easy to use and as intuitive as possible.

However, a big part of designing user interfaces that are easy to use also involves figuring out what things should be a bit more difficult to use. It’s a counter-intuitive notion that’s central to effective user interface design.